


The Rising Tide

by Ordon117



Category: RWBY, World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen, Parody
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-24 17:38:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12017745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ordon117/pseuds/Ordon117
Summary: Something is coming, something that Remnant has never before faced the like of. Something that threatens to destroy their world and everything in it and enact a dark and devious plan with all that remains. Remnant is not prepared.---Honestly I have no excuses for this one, it's just crazy and I swear I was only mildly high when I wrote it.





	1. Chapter 1

The Beowulf ran as fast as its legs would carry it; its pitch black core was filled with an emotion that before this had been completely alien to it… terror. Suddenly in its haste, one of its claws got caught in a root and tumbled over itself and fell to the ground. It got up unsteadily, and growled as it heard its pursuers halt and shuffle to surround it. It let out a roar of defiance and charged… the forest echoed briefly with snarls and the sounds of battle, but after a final cry, the forest was quiet once more.  
\---

Ozpin read the report in his hand with increasing worry; his desk was covered with such reports… all indicating the same thing… Grimm were emerging from every direction, but not in a concentrated assault or wave. Rather, they were coming out piecemeal, and seemed to be dispersing into the countryside at random. He looked up and gestured at the scattered papers, "What do you make of this?" he asked quietly.

Qrow scratched his chin and considered for a moment, "This doesn't match up with any kind of movement I would expect from the Grimm." he replied. "They could have caused some serious damage before we could have organized any response had they simply moved toward major population centers. However, the fact that they are coming out like this has meant that while all hands are needed on deck to take them out as they come or to divert them; they haven't actually caused as much damage as they could have." He leaned over the map of Vale that was on the desk; it was covered with black pins representing an outbreak of Grimm, "It's almost like someone… or something, is forcing them out."

Ozpin let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, "That's what I was afraid you'd say. We can't afford to keep this up… like you said, they haven't caused major damage, yet, but we're wearing out and we're spread thin." He grabbed his coffee cup and took a sip, "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to send out the students to investigate; we simply cannot afford to use our more experienced hunters… I will ask that you lead them, along with Oobleck; your task is to take all available students teams and find out what you can; and Qrow?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow, Ozpin's eyes fell to the map, "Keep them safe."

Qrow rolled his eyes, "Of course."

Ozpin smiled, "That means staying sober."

Qrow's expression darkened a little and he stuffed the flask he had been about to drink from into his belt; he gave a lazy salute and walked out of the room.

Ozpin spun around in his chair to look out over the surrounding countryside… it looked peaceful, but occasionally he saw a far-off explosion or flash of light that bespoke of the battle currently raging throughout the continent. He closed his eyes, not willing to think about the great danger he was about to put his students in… whatever had driven out the Grimm must surely be a threat far greater than any they had ever seen.

"For all that is holy, Qrow," he whispered, "keep them safe."  
\---

Velvet ducked under a branch as she and Fox scanned the underbrush, she turned back to the other two and waved them forward.

Coco huffed a little and Yatsuhashi rolled his eyes a little as he slashed at the thick foliage in front of them, clearing a path. Her expression brightened and she walked haughtily to Velvet's position.

"Anything yet?" she asked.

Velvet shook her head, "We haven't even seen any Grimm after that last pack passed us an hour back."

Coco frowned, "I would think whatever was forcing them out would be a little obvious at this point." she peered into the thick forest ahead of them.

Fox cleared his throat, "You know… it might be a little easier to see in the deep, dark forest if you took the sunglasses off for once."

Coco turned deliberately toward him, "And be caught totally unfashionable before the great threat that is before us? Never!"

She said that part a tad too loudly for Velvet's liking, who winced, and stiffened as she saw a flash of movement in the distance.

"Um… guys?" she whispered, "I don't think we're alone anymore."

The others turned outward and drew their weapons, Fox gasped, "Wait… where's Yatsuhashi?"

The other two frowned and began looking around, where the large Hunter had been standing, there was only a depression in the grass.

"YATSUHASHI!" Coco called out, "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Suddenly a spear flashed out of the darkness and Fox barely dodged out of way in time and it slammed into the tree behind him. His eyes scanned the darkness, "It came from over there," he called out, pointing into the underbrush. He brandished his weapons and rushed forward; Coco unpacked her minigun and began advancing after him, she turned back to Velvet who was still staring at the spear and frowned, "C'mon Velvet, we need to take out whoever threw that and find Yatsuhashi."

"Uh… I think I may have found him," Velvet said, her voice quivering. Coco frowned and followed her gaze, and her mouth dropped open. Transfixed onto the spear was Yatsuhashi's head, his mouth and eyes frozen in terror. Suddenly there was a scream, and the two girls turned just in time to watch Fox's legs dragged into a bush, there was a brief rustle and then suddenly it was ominously still.

The two could only stare as the bush rustled again, and something rolled out into the clearing ahead of them. It was Fox's head, his mouth fixed in a defiant snarl, the ground glistened as blood oozed from his neck into the grass.

Coco let out a yell and opened fire, spraying bullets wildly, the trees and bushes ahead of them were shredded she unleashed a fusillade of fire. Eventually after what seemed like eternity, Coco's minigun wound down and she lowered the weapon, she aimed her weapon wildly around the clearing, looking for a target.

She spun around as Velvet grabbed her arm, "We need to get out of here!" The Faunus girl screamed. Coco shook herself and focussed, Velvet was right, she had to concentrate on getting the two of them out of there. 

She slammed her eyes shut and forced the grisly sights of her teammate's remains, "All right, Velvet, get out a good melee weapon, preferably one that won't be too cumbersome in this forest, I'll keep my minigun out and cover from range. We'll use the flare and fall back until we can rendezvous with another squad." Velvet nodded and pulled out her camera, preparing to activate her Semblance. Coco's eyes scanned the treeline as she reached into the pouch at her side and pulled out the emergency flare that had been issued to each student. She aimed the flare up and popped the top, a red streak of light erupted high into the sky.

Coco immediately regretted it; as suddenly the entire clearing rustled and she heard movement closing in from all sides.

Velvet stood paralyzed, "Uh… Coco?"

Coco grabbed Velvet by the arm, "Don't just STAND there! Run for it!" the two ran back the way they had come; away from the horrible things that followed.  
\---

"Guys, look at that!" exclaimed Pyrrha, and the rest followed her pointing finger to see an emergency flare burst in the sky.

"That means someone's in trouble, c'mon guys." said Jaune and the squad followed him toward the fading red smoke.

"Oh my god, yes. Just wandering through the forest has been soooo boring." complained Nora as she vaulted a branch.

Suddenly Ren halted, staring up at the sky.

Pyrrha stopped, "What's wrong Ren?" she asked.

Ren pointed, and the team watched in mounting horror as another flare went off… then another… soon the sky was filled with red smoke.

"Uhhhh…." Jaune stood there, stupefied, suddenly a scream rent the air ahead of them, galvanizing him into action; "Okay, stick to the plan, help whoever that is and then uh… go from there."

The rest of the team shook themselves and each murmured stunned assent, save for Ren… who was suddenly missing.

"Where's Ren?" demanded Jaune, slightly panicked. Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes, and everyone jumped. Pyrrha motioned toward the brush, and Jaune swallowed nervously and nodded, the two began advancing cautiously, shields raised, Nora followed behind with her hammer.

There was the sound of gunfire, and Ren leapt out of the bush, over one shoulder he carried an unconscious Velvet, with the other hand he fired his pistol as he backpedaled toward the group. He spun around and pelted his way toward them, "Run." he said calmly as he rushed by.

Pyrrha grabbed the stunned Jaune by the arm and followed, Nora close behind, "But I haven't even been able to hit anything with my hammer!" she whined as she ran.

"Trust me… I don't' think you want to get in range of these things," said a voice beside them, which caused Jaune to trip and almost crash to the ground had Pyrrha not dragged him upright by the arm.

"Qrow, thank the Maidens." exclaimed Pyrrha, relieved; then she frowned, "Um… sir, what happened to your arm?"

Qrow's right arm was gone below the elbow, there was a rough bandage covering the stump that seeped blood as he ran. He grimaced, "Let's just say that I had a rough encounter with what we're facing."

"I don't understand…" Pyrrha said, her voice starting to crack, "what the hell are these things?"

Qrow frowned, "I wish I knew, all I know is that they're fast and vicious, and they just keep coming. I also know is that this expedition was never prepared for this kind of resistance. We were supposed to be a scouting force; as it is… I have reason to believe that we've lost over half of our effective force."

Jaune gulped, "So all of those flares…"

Qrow snarled, "That's the things we're facing… they're messing with us, I counted the flares, there never was that many students in the entire force, and honestly, seeing how these things move, I kind of doubt that that many students would have even been able to use their flares in time."

Pyrrha blinked and stared at him, "You've got to be joking."

Qrow shook his head, and then gave a start and stopped; the rest of the team halted alongside him, "They've surrounded us…" he said quietly, his eyes darting around the clearing.

The team followed his gaze with growing horror as they saw the bushes and trees surrounding them rustle ominously.

"Get into formation," Qrow commanded the team, "Ren put Velvet in the center." Ren complied, laying Velvet down gently in the grass before taking his position in the circle.

"Wouldn't a breakout be more prudent." asked Pyrrha, her voice on edge.

"Under normal circumstances? Yeah, but we can't outrun these things, and even assuming we could; we have no way of knowing which direction is safest. We'll engage them as best we can now, while they have to come to us and can't ambush us, and then try to make our move."

Jaune nervously waved his shield back and forth, trying to gauge where the first attack would come from; he wondered what kind of monsters could do such horrible things. Taking an arm from an experienced Hunter like Qrow? Who had stood and fought against countless Grimm? Jaune's imagination tortured him with images of vile monstrosities that ranged from vile preying-mantis like beings to giant werewolves with flesh-rending teeth and sharp claws.

Suddenly there was a rustle in front of him, and a shape emerged from the bush; Jaune yelped in terror, then stared in confusion.

It was a bizarre looking creature; it was very short, barely standing up to Jaune's waist. Its long legs ended in webbed flippers, and its spindly arms were held loosely by its sides, a vicious-looking, bloodsoaked blade was held in its right hand. It stared blankly at Jaune with wide, bulging eyes; it blinked once, then twice. Jaune wasn't sure whether to scream or laugh, and he simply stood there, watching it. 

Suddenly the thing's demeanor changed, and Jaune practically choked on the overwhelming bloodlust that suddenly filled the air. The thing's eyes turned red and vicious spines that ran along its back stood up, purple and menacing. It raised the savage-looking blade overhead and it barreled toward Jaune, who made his decision, and screamed as the thing rushed toward him, but that sound was drowned out by the warcry that the creature gave that echoed for miles around in a deafening roar...

Mrglglglglglrwlrwl!


	2. Chapter 2

The thing swung the blade in a wild overhead arc that clanged into Jaune's shield, driving him a few paces backward. He desperately shoved the thing back and stabbed at it with his sword. The thing dodged the strike nimbly and swung its blade in reply; the two exchanged a flurry of blows, then suddenly there was a gunshot and Jaune's opponent flew to the side. Ren calmly nodded to Jaune, and then turned back to fight another opponent. Jaune was about to thank him when suddenly three more of the creatures attacked him, one of them was armed with two jagged pieces of bone whose origin Jaune tried very hard not to think about.

The fight dragged on for what seemed like an eternity, and Jaune felt like he was about to collapse; they had killed hundreds of the things, Qrow alone had swept aside scores of them at a time with his scythe. But for every one they had killed, Jaune could swear that four more had taken their place; his arms burned as he parried one frenzied blow and blocked a second with his shield.

Suddenly the foes facing him were cleared as Qrow advanced, wildly spinning his scythe in a flurry of blows that drove the things back.

"All right kids, it's now or never." The Huntsman stated calmly, "We're going to have to try to break through straight ahead and just hope that there aren't more of them. Jaune, Pyrrha, you're our vanguard, Nora and I will clean them up as you push them aside, Ren keep our backs clear and Velvet safe." Jaune nodded his assent, and began gathering himself to charge forward, the sight ahead of him was from a nightmare. With those bizarre monstrosities emerging from every nook and cranny; they were never going to make it. Jaune gritted his teeth and shook himself, if he thought like that, they were dead already, he and his team would make it, they had to.

"Ready?" Qrow asked, Jaune and Pyrrha nodded once, "Alright then, GO!" the team let out a weary battlecry, and Jaune lowered his shoulder, raising his shield and bull-rushed forward, swatting aside the enemies as they came. At first they made good headway, as the tactic appeared to take their savage foes by surprise, but exhaustion began to take its toll and Jaune and Pyrrha's headlong charge began to slow… and still there was no sign of the enemy's presence even lessening.

Finally the team stopped, panting and exhausted, the creatures seemed to hang back for a little while; as though toying with their prey. Then they slowly began to filter into the clearing, surrounding the team and staring at them with their bulging eyes.

Jaune's arms shook with exhaustion as with an effort of will he brought his sword and shield back into a fighting stance.

"I'm sorry kids," Qrow panted, "I failed you."

"We're not dead yet sir," Pyrrha said, as she too prepared for what would likely be their last stand.

"We'll bash some skulls in before we go down! I'm gonna rip them limb from limb!" Nora boasted, but Jaune could see that her eyes were tired and he could see the despair written there despite the wide grin she wore on her face.

Ren lowered Velvet to the ground once more, dusted off his pants, and calmly lowered himself into a fighting stance.

Qrow smirked and shook his head, as he brandished his scythe, "Well? You heard them," He called out, "Come and get us you miserable bastards!"

The creatures hesitated for a moment, then suddenly with that strange battlecry, they began to rush forward, then they halted, freezing in place and they turned as one to look up at the sky.

The team heard the rushing of wings, and suddenly a mighty voice boomed around the clearing.

"YOU ARE NOT IN READINESS!"

A figured blurred into the clearing and landed in front of them; green flame wreathed around his form in a twisting stream. He stood and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture; the green flame writhed and then flared; crashing into the creatures.

Jaune watched in disbelief as the creatures simply disintegrated; falling into ashes where they stood. Soon the entire clearing was silent, save for the crackling of the strange green flame.

The figure turned to face them and Jaune was pretty sure he pissed himself at this point.

First of all, the stranger had bat-like wings that extended from his back; he also had horns that sprouted from the top of his head that curled back menacingly into sharp points. He had wicked tattoos that covered his body that glowed a dull green.

However, none of this was as terrifying as his eyes.

Where the stranger's eyes should've have been, two green orbs of flame burned behind a dark cloth. They glared appraisingly at the exhausted Hunters, finally he spoke, "We should move, the murlocs shall return, and in greater numbers." The stranger whirled around, his wings furling like a cloak behind him, and he began walking away.

"Just a minute; just who in the hell are you?" Demanded Qrow.

The figure turned and he grinned, revealing sharpened teeth, "My name, is Illidan Stormrage, and if you wish to live, you will follow me."

\---

Ruby didn't remember ever feeling as exhausted as she was right now. It was getting dark, and Blake was on lookout at the entrance of the cave they had taken shelter in; making sure no more of those things got the jump on them. Yang laid on the ground, snoring slightly; cuts and bruises covered her entire body; Ruby gulped, and Weiss…. Weiss was out there right now. The last few hours felt like a rush… they had been patrolling when suddenly the signal flares had filled the sky and those monsters had attacked them. Weiss had gotten separated from the group, and they had tried to go after her… but that had left them open. If it hadn't been for Yang and the strange woman who was currently perched on top of the rock stock still, as though deep in thought; they would have died out there.

Ruby examined her again… she was encased in outlandish, metal armor, the helmet made Ruby think of a very angry owl.

The stranger noticed her gaze, and cocked her head to the side, "You should get some rest child; it will be a difficult trek on the morrow and I would have you at full strength."

Ruby yawned; "but I should replace Blake on watch when she gets tired."

The woman considered her, then she pointed to the cave entrance, "She has already succumbed to sleep." She said, with a hint of compassion in her voice. Ruby's gaze followed the gauntleted finger and saw that Blake was laid out on a rock, her torso rising and falling evenly.

"Do not fear; I shall take the watch, I have no need for sleep." Ruby yawned again and considered, after all, if the woman had wanted to kill them she simply would have left them to die instead of saving them.

"Thank you again for saving us." Ruby said quietly.

The woman inclined her head slightly, "It would not due to allow such valiant maidens to fall before such dark and evil creatures. Do not fear for your companion, we shall find her."

Ruby laid her head down, then frowned and looked at the woman again. "I just remembered, you've saved our lives, and we don't even know your name."

The woman's green eyes glinted behind her bird-like helmet, "My name… is Maiev Shadowsong; now rest young maiden… we shall find your companion on the morrow."

\---

Illidan had led Qrow and the team out of the forest and into an old abandoned quarry, boulders lay scattered, and the hill it was situated on allowed them to watch for anything coming in and out of the forest.

They had set up camp for the night, and were currently sitting around a campfire; the glow hidden by the giant rocks that surrounded them. The strange 'kaldorei' or night elf, as he had begrudgingly allowed after getting tired of Jaune mispronouncing it several times; had been somewhat taciturn on their flight out of the forest. Occasionally he had called for a stop; his strange green orbs glowing in his eye-sockets as he scanned the underbrush, before finally motioning them forward once more. They had encountered no more of the 'murlocs' as Illidan had called them on their way to the quarry; and the Huntsmen and Huntresses could only attribute that spot of luck to their guide's heightened senses.

It was only when they had reached the quarry that the reclusive night elf had spoke, "Come, we shall make camp here; and I shall tell you more of what your world now faces."

Illidan paced in front of the fire for a few minutes, as though contemplating; finally he turned to the team, the fire casting strange shadows on his features that gave him an ominous appearance.

"Your world was not ready for this encroaching darkness." He said quietly, "This is not your fault, but now it stands at the brink of great peril."

"These things… these… murlocs." Pyrrha interjected, "What do they want?"

Illidan was still for a long moment, "They want to take your world; they will watch it burn. Now be silent, and I shall explain just what it is you face."

His gaze turned to the fire, and he spoke as the shadows played across his face, "In the beginning, there was the Burning Legion; a powerful army of demons headed by a Titan, a being named Sargeras."

"Um…" Jaune nervously raised his hand, "What kind of Grimm is that?"

Illidan's gaze turned to him and he frowned, "What is a... Grimm?"

"Grimm are creatures that seek to extinguish life on all of Remnant." explained Pyrrha.

Illidan shook his head, "I know not what a Grimm is, but know this… a Titan is a being far above any such creature; now don't interrupt. Sargeras long ago attempted to encroach on my world, Azeroth, we were able to finally repel his forces at great cost." His visage darkened, "However, unbeknownst to us, he had created a force far greater than any we had ever imagined, his agents found a world called Mraenor, where murlocs eked out a precarious existence; fighting everyday to survive in a world that constantly sought to destroy them. The demons approached them with an offer; drink the blood of a pit lord, Mannoroth, and gain demonic power; however they would be bound in service to the Burning Legion."

"So the Burning Legion came here?" Pyrrha asked.

Illidan shook his head, "The murlocs, after slaughtering all life on their homeworld, turned on their demonic masters; in the demons haste to flee, they could not destroy the portal behind them. For a time all of the worlds feared an inexorable horde that would sweep forward and crush everything in its path… but nothing happened for centuries; many believed that perhaps they would remain dormant forever." t=The night elf began pacing once more, "Then something changed, around three years ago they became active; I observed them, watched them as they swept through world after world, demolishing anything that stood between them and the portals they sought but otherwise leaving everything totally unharmed. Until finally they came here to this… Remnant." 

He stopped and turned to face them once more, his face drawn up in thought, "I do not know what they want with this world, but know this… the murlocs are still foul creatures that once served the Legion, no doubt their purpose here is as vile as their former masters." he clenched his fists, "I will not rest until every last murloc on this world is destroyed and so I ask," He offered an outstretched hand, "Will you join me?"

The Huntsmen and Huntresses were silent for a long time as they considered all that the night elf had said, finally Qrow stood up, and gave a salute, "Sure, I think we can give you a hand."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Jaune woke up to see a blade flashing down toward his face; he let out a scream and rolled to the side, and the metal gave a sharp clang as it bite into the rock. He kept rolling and got up in a combat stance; and then frowned.

Illidan withdrew his glaive from the ground and sheathed it, and the night elf nodded at him, "Good, very good reaction…" he then moved onto the next slumbering form, Pyrrha, and drew back his glaive.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Jaune demanded; Illidan lowered his weapon and turned to Jaune.

"In order to fight against the murlocs, you will have to be on guard at all times. Too often have they found you not ready for a fight. Thus begins your training as my Illidari."

Jaune slumped in bewilderment, "Training as your… what?"

Illidan turned and clenched a fist, "My Illidari… demon hunters that shall fight against the demonspawn that infests your world!"

"You named your demon hunters after yourself? Isn't that a tad… egotistical?"

Illidan waved a hand dismissively and turned back to Pyrrha's unconscious form, "It matters not… I must ready you for what is to come." He raised his glaive once more and before Jaune could stop him, sent it descending towards the girl's throat. At the last possible moment, Pyrrha's eyes snapped open and she rolled swiftly to the side, her spear already thrusting toward the night elf's chest. It connected solidly, and purple blood began dripping to the ground.

Pyrrha's expression turned to shock and her hand went to her mouth, "Oh Maidens… uh… I'm so sorry Mister Stormrage."

"Very… good… reaction…" Illidan said stiffly as he pulled the spear out from his chest, "Wake the others… we shall continue with other training." He whirled around and began walking away stiffly.

A few minutes later, the night elf paced up and down the assembled Hunters, a white bandage strapped onto his chest.

"You were not…" he hesitated, as though choosing his words carefully, "Ready... enough to stop the invasion of your world," he stated, "You were not… on alert appropriately… to stop the slaughter of your comrades… well no more; I shall train you… and give you the powers to stop this invasion… the powers… of an Illidari!"

He threw out his arms dramatically, a savage grin on his face… Jaune raised his hand. Illidan sighed, "Yes?"

"Um… what powers are those exactly? Will we be able to do that fire thing you did before?"

Illidan shook his head, "No, I am able to wield the flames of Azzinoth due to my mastery over these warglaives; and my ability as a powerful sorcerer."

Jaune frowned, "Can't you just teach us to be sorcerers then?"

Illidan sighed, "No, I cannot teach you to be a sorcerer… you must already be gifted by the Arcane…"

Nora raised her hand, "Is the Arcane like Aura?"

Illidan frowned, "What is this… Aura?"

Nora rolled her eyes, "Duh… Aura is a life force that surrounds our bodies; it powers and fuels our Semblances, which allows me to do things like this!" Nora raised her hammer high and slammed it into the ground, causing the ground to crumble and fracture for yards around. She raised her hammer to point at Pyrrha, "And SHE can use like… magnets and stuff," she pointed to Jaune, "HE can…" Nora frowned, "actually I don't actually know Jaune does… but I think he can do stuff too."

Illidan frowned, "While that's all very interesting, that apparently was quite insufficient to deal with the threat you now face. Which is why I'm offering you the powers of the Illidari… of the DEMON HUNTER! We shall take out your eyes and give you the Sight, we shall craft your war glaives and train you in their ancient arts; and I shall gift you the power of the demons themselves to use to destroy all that oppose m- us!" he roared.

Pyrrha raised her hand nervously; Illidan massaged his temples, "Yes?" he hissed.

"Um… did you say 'take out our eyes'?" she asked.

"Yes," the night elf gestured to his own glowing orbs, "we must do so in order to give you the Sight… so that no demon may deceive you with their appearance, and so you can detect the Legion's foul magics…"

"Uh… can we skip that part," Jaune asked and he swallowed nervously, "I'm kind of attached to my current set of eyes."

The night elf frowned, "But without the Sight, you shall not be able to perceive your foes as I do. To be able to know their every step without fail, to see through their disguises and their deceptions."

"Yeah, but well… no offense, while I'm all for that stuff… I uh… don't really feel like having green fireballs for eyes." the rest of the group murmured an agreement.

Illidan sighed, "Very well… those that do not wish to receive the gift of Sight may choose not to." he raised a trembling finger, "but be warned." he whispered, "YOU WILL NOT BE PRE-" he cut off suddenly and snarled, "ADEQUATELY READY! For when the Legion and their ilk descends upon you! Now, let us begin with crafting your war glaives… first you must gather…"

\---

Maiev halted suddenly causing the members of Team RWBY to stumble to a halt; her head shot up and she scanned the tree line intently.

"What? Did you find her?" asked Ruby hopefully.

Maiev was quiet for a moment, but then shook her head, "No, I am afraid not child… I just thought that I had sensed that... fiend."

Ruby nodded, "You mean that guy… Illidan? The one you were warning us about?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, the one who is no doubt behind this invasion. For now he has been able to disguise you see… he has a phrase that he cannot help but repeat. So, during his time in captivity, I put a spell upon him such that when he utters it; none of his foul sorcery will be able to conceal him from me." She clenched a gauntleted fist, "I will find you, Betrayer." she said quietly as she stared intently into the distance, "you shall not be able to elude me forever."

\---

A few hours later, Jaune dropped his pack in front of the night elf, panting with exhaustion and stepped back, "Okay… so that's four oak branches, ten pieces of iron ore, six daisy flowers, and a single Murloc heart." Illidan examined the collection and nodded, "Very good, now that you have turned in all of your ingredients… we may begin."

Jaune raised his hand, the night elf closed his eyes and rolled back his head, "YES?"

Jaune lowered his hand uncertainly, "Is it normal for some murlocs to not have hearts? Because I think I killed like… ten of them before I finally found one."

Illidan nodded, "Yes… it is not uncommon for various body parts or organs to disappear upon death, how are you not aware of this?"

Jaune hesitated, "Um… I don't think I've ever heard of that happening before."

Illidan frowned and considered him, "Are you telling me that this doesn't happen on this world." Jaune nodded and the night elf shook his head, "This world is so very peculiar." He muttered; then he nodded toward the mish-mash of materials, "now, let us craft a weapon worthy of legend and transform you into an unstoppable weapon with which we shall sunder the murloc horde!"

Pyrrha looked skeptically at the pile of materials in front of her… "Um… so how exactly is this stuff going to make a super powerful weapon?"

Illidan grabbed the flowers and began mashing them; "I shall take care of that… while I am crafting your warglaives, however, you shall be attaining the form you shall need for the coming conflict." He put the resulting mush into cups and poured some water from a pot above the campfire. He mixed it, and then whispered a few words over each; the Hunstmen and Huntresses felt a thrum of energy form and enter each cup as the night elf did this. Finally Illidan set down the last cup, "Each of you take a cup, as well as your murloc heart, and follow me," Jaune grabbed one of the clay containers and followed into a cave in the quarry; his apprehension mounting. Finally they arrived at a clearing where several glowing, green runes formed strange designs on the ground. Illidan pointed to the designs, "each of you shall stand in a design and drink of the cup; then you shall devour the heart of your enemy; thus shall you attain the power that you shall need."

Jaune turned a little green, "Yo-you want us to EAT this thing?" he indicated the green and blue mass in his hand.

Illidan frowned, "Is it not obvious? That heart contains the savagery, bloodlust, and fel power of our foes. In devouring it, you shall gain a portion of that power to use for yourself."

"ALRIGHT!" Nora crowed, "now we're talking!"

Ren made a face and examined the heart, "Maybe if I cooked it into something first… maybe like a pie or something?"

Nora clasped her hands together, and her face lit up with excitement, "Oooh! Oooh! Yeah! Maybe with like… whipped cream or something on top!"

Illidan rolled his eyes, and then his face turned grim, "I must warn you," he said ominously, "As I stated before, the murloc heart contains the power of our foe… but it also contains the demonic corruption. This will be a battle for your very soul, the power will consume you and you will lose yourself to its embrace… however, should you drink of it too deeply… you shall die a most painful death."

The assembled Hunters were quiet for a long moment… suddenly Velvet stepped forward, "If it means taking vengeance upon those THINGS for what they did to my team? I'll eat a million of their hearts." she vowed, her eyes looking directly into the night elf's fiery green orbs.

Illidan slowly bowed his head in approval, "Then proceed," Velvet stepped past him and into the first circle. Nora followed with a spring in her step; joyfully skipping into the design beside her; Ren followed calmly behind. Jaune looked to see that Qrow was already calmly in a design, slouching casually as he examined the cup he held in his hand. Jaune turned to Pyrrha, who nodded slowly to him before stepping forward, Jaune swallowed and followed her, they entered the last two designs.

Illidan stepped to the center of the room, he chanted a strange language that Jaune didn't recognize and he saw orbs of the strange green flame appear… each one floated to one of the designs. As soon as they touched the runes, the flame flared and spread over the design rapidly… soon, each of the designs were alight, although Jaune could feel no heat.

"NOW! DRINK OF THE BREW AND DEVOUR THE HEART! TAKE THIS POWER AND YOUR FOES WILL NOT BE PREPA-." He snapped his jaw shut, "Bah, you know what I mean."

Jaune looked at the softly glowing contents of the cup, then turned to look at Pyrrha, who was also looking at its contents skeptically; then she looked up a Jaune. She composed herself, and nodded to him, and drank. Jaune looked back his own cup, grimaced, then put the cup to his lips, and downed the contents.

Suddenly a surge of power washed over him in a wave; he lost touch of his surroundings, flashing in and out of awareness. In one moment he was on his knees, keening in a wild laughter that sounded harsh and musical to his ears; throwing his head around and around, his blonde hair long and whipping wildly. The next he was taking large, tearing bites out of the strange pulsating flesh in his hand, the strange blood oozing unheeded down his face and chest. Then he was standing; screaming in sweet, delicious agony as his very flesh twisted and transformed; he looked over to see his companions enduring similar changes, one of them threw back their head and screamed. Suddenly the Hunter burst into flame, and they fell to the ground, twitching once before going ominously still. The last thing Jaune remembered was a burning that raced through his veins, his knees buckled and the ground rushed up to meet him.

\---

Cardin calmly waited as his… benefactor… paced back and forth before him; voluminous black robes swirling around him as he overlooked the valley below.

Cardin's team had been patrolling with the rest of the students; they had walked into the forest brazenly, confident in their own skills. The ambush had already claimed Russel before any of them could react, his head flying from his shoulders and that chilling war cry echoing through the forest. One by one, his team had been overwhelmed, leaving Cardin alone, his arms trembling from exertion as he swung his mace, each blow connecting and slaying an enemy. However, more had kept coming and he had finally fallen to his knees, exhausted, waiting for the killing blow. Suddenly however, purple flames had scorched the ground, incinerating his opponents; he had seen the robed figure disdainfully kicking at the burning skeleton before turning to examine the fallen Huntsman; then Cardin had blacked out.

He had awoken to find the figure standing over him, pouring a black, foul liquid over his wounds, healing them as though they had never existed. Since then, he had been able to understand the creature's alien tongue. It had asked him about Remnant, himself, and their technology; its eyes burning with intensity as it had interrogated him. Cardin had tried to resist at first, but a bizarre compulsion had forced his tongue, and slowly Cardin had learned that even should he fight that strange geass, the stranger had… other… more painful ways to convince him to obey. Slowly Cardin's will had frayed, and he now no longer even cared to attempt to resist the drive that the stranger's commands inspired.

Finally, the stranger spoke, "So… the Betrayer is here as well… recruiting followers for the coming battle." he stopped his pacing and turned to Cardin, extending an outstretched hand. Cardin felt a spike of pain drive itself into his head, and suddenly his mind was filled with images… Jaune and his team… Velvet… and Qrow, who appeared wounded. "Do you recognize these people?" he asked him.

Cardin nodded, "Yes… the boy's name is Jaune Arc, his team is… formidable. The man is Qrow, he is a powerful Huntsman, although I know little else… however, Velvet, the girl with the rabbit ears. She is worthless and weak, do not be concerned with her."

The stranger grunted and turned back to view the valley; "I'm afraid, young Cardin, that we find ourselves outnumbered." he murmured; he stood there for a moment, as though mulling over the dilemma. "These creatures… these… Grimm… you say that they are numerous?" he asked softly.

Cardin nodded, "Yes… at least I thought so before I saw these… murlocs."

The figure chuckled, "Well then, I believe we shall find a use for them… in the meantime… it appears that the Betrayer has… augmented his pawns." The figure walked up to Cardin, his slight form meaning he barely came up to Cardin's head, even while kneeling. "As a warlock of the Burning Legion… I can hardly do less for my own." Before Cardin react, purple flame coalesced in the figure's right hand and he plunged it into Cardin's chest.

Agony raced through the Huntsman's body and he fell to the ground, screaming as he flailed, the flame coating his body. The figure laughed, and turned once more, amused by the Hunter's suffering, "Come then… Betrayer," he hissed, "I… Mul'dan, shall destroy you and your precious demon hunters… but first, I have other business to attend to." The murloc extended his hands, and called forth the same purple flames that covered the unconscious Cardin. Then with a flourish, he and the hapless Hunter vanished, leaving nothing but the scorched ground behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Jaune woke up and before he even consciously thought about it, his hand thrust upward and caught the rapidly descending metal before it reached his throat, stopping it cold. He felt a sting as the blade cut into his fingers, and he stared at his hand in shock before looking up at Illidan's grinning face.

"Excellent," the night elf murmured, "much more composed." he stepped back and offered his hand to Jaune, who clasped it and winced as he realized it was with his hurt hand. Illidan grunted as he pulled the Huntsman to his feet; Jaune stood on his feet and stared at his arm. Green runes similar to those on the night elf now glowed softly along its length, he looked at the other and saw similar markings there.

Illidan clapped him on the shoulder, "I'm sure you're curious about your appearance; allow me." The night elf raised a hand and a silvery projection formed in the air in front of Jaune.

From it stared a strange creature, it looked like Jaune, except the green markings covered his torso and arms, his hair had grown long, reaching well below his shoulders. Two small horns jutted from the top of his head, he reached up and touched the top of his head; sure enough, there were two growths sticking out from his head. The revelation unnerved him slightly such that the spines that grew along his back raised themselves a little… Jaune paused… spines?

He craned his head to look over his shoulder and saw that three sharp spines grew along his back… he couldn't help it, he screamed a little. Illidan rubbed his face in exasperation, then turned to Qrow who was staring in awe at his arms. Upon waking he had found that he once more had two arms, in place of the stump, an arm that appeared to be formed of some kind of rock had formed. Green wisps of flame ran along its length, although Qrow felt no heat from it, he opened and closed the hand experimentally and grunted. He examined the other students, all had been changed in various ways, Ren and Nora's hair had also grown longer, with the strange horns also growing from their heads. Ren's were modest, spiraling elegantly. Nora's were large, jagged things that ran along her face, giving her a fearsome appearance; even now she was marveling at them and chattering excitedly at Ren. Qrow shifted his gaze Pyrrha, who even now was giggling slightly at Jaune who was screaming and running his hands along his back; she had been mostly unchanged, with no horns and certainly no spines. As far as Qrow could tell, Jaune had been the only one… blessed… with such a mutation.

Then his gaze turned to Velvet, who was standing aloof from the others, staring off into the valley below. Like their night elf companion, she had grown leathery wings on her back, the only one of them to do so; her rabbit ears had disappeared, in their place, horns had grown, curving backwards into sharp points. Qrow wondered what caused the differences in their changes; particularly with Jaune who was currently causing Pyrrha to go into hysterics as he nursed his hand, which had apparently gotten pricked by one of his spines as he had been fretting over them.

Suddenly Illidan clapped his hands together, grabbing everyone's attention; "Behold the weapons that shall bring you victory! Your warglaives!" he waved his hand at a flat boulder on which laid several pairs of the strange weapons.

Qrow gasped as he gazed at them, he had been skeptical of the seemingly mundane materials that the night elf had sent them to collect for the purpose of forging the weapons. However, he was finding it hard to argue with the results, the weapons were keen, and the same runes that were on their skin ran along the length of the blades. He selected a pair and twirled them around, grunting in appreciation at their balance. Then he frowned, but there was something… missing, he set the weapons down and turned to Illidan.

"No offense, but I think that I like my scythe better."

"I've practiced with Miló and Akoúo̱ my whole life." Pyrrha said as she too lowered the strange weapons. "It seems inefficient to try and switch out now."

"I won't be able to break any bones with THESE." complained Nora.

"These warglaives are the weapons of the demon hunter!" the night elf blurted out, "The very sight of these shall send the demons and their ilk into panic! Th-" He looked around at them and saw none of them seemed swayed by the arguments, then he spat, "Fine; give me your weapons and i shall attempt to inscribe it with the same enchantment as on these."

Qrow grabbed his sword and gave it to Illidan, who frowned.

"I thought you said it was a scythe?" He said hesitantly.

Qrow nodded, "yeah it is… watch," He picked it up and with an effort of will, transformed it into its scythe form.

Illidan stared at it a moment, "Well that's… intriguing."

Qrow grinned, "That's nothing, check this out," He changed it back into sword form, then popped out its shotgun mode and fired a few shots into the rocks, the shots echoed around the clearing. Then formed it back into a scythe before handing it back to the night elf.

Illidan considered the weapon then looked back up at him, "Can I just ask you something?"

Qrow nodded, "Sure, what is it?"

Illidan gestured at the weapon, "Why do you have this transform into different weapons? Why not just carry other weapons with you?"

Qrow frowned, "I mean, a shotgun, sword and a scythe? Carrying all of that around would get kind of cumbersome."

Illidan cocked his head to the side and pulled out a small, leather bag, "Not really, all you would have to do is put them in a bag." To Qrow's amazement, the night elf pulled out some daggers, then a longsword, then a large two handed zweihander, then finally a large warhammer. Illidan nodded at the collection of weapons, "Disenchanting materials, I'll be requiring them to rune your… weapon."

Qrow stared at container in disbelief, "How in the world did you keep all of that in there?"

Illidan frowned, "You mean that yours can't?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow and walked over to retrieve his backpack and showed the contents to Illidan, a couple of flasks, a bedroll, and a collection of knick knacks. Illidan shook his head, "I had no idea that you had such incompetent tailors." He murmured, he reached into the bag and Qrow's jaw dropped as he pulled out several similar bags of the same size. The night elf gestured to them, "You may each take one, I shall seek to procure more when I can find the appropriate materials."

Qrow grabbed it and shrugged, he started to stuff his backpack into it, and watched in amazement as the small bag simply swallowed up the pack.

He looked up to see the night elf make a sharp gesture over the weapons and his eyes widened in amazement as they disintegrated before his eyes, forming strangely colored dust and crystals. The night elf collected them and his orbs dimmed as he frowned in concentration, finally he waved his hand over the sword and the strange green runes began etching themselves into the steel. Finally Illidan sat back, "There it is done."

Qrow picked up the sword, and twirled it around, grinning.

Illidan shrugged, "Perhaps it is for the best. The warglaives are not the easiest weapons to master, and we are pressed for time." he gestured to the others, one by one they stepped forward and the night elf repeated the process. Only Velvet took up the new weapons, testing their weight, she shrugged, "I lost my camera when I was running from the murlocs." she said quietly, "besides, something about these weapons seems… right."

Illidan shrugged and packed up his supplies, "Very well, then let us begin our training. We shall spar so that I might evaluate your proficiency. I wish for you to confer amongst yourselves, try to match like with like in terms of combat proficiency."

The Huntsmen and Huntresses huddled up, "Well so Qrow should probably fight Pyrrha," Jaune suggested. Qrow shrugged, "Makes sense, then why not Nora with Ren, and Jaune with Velvet?"

Velvet looked at the Huntsman sharply, "Isn't Jaune the weakest? Why are you matching me with him?"

Qrow winced, "Well, I wouldn't say weakest, but maybe least proficient. Face it Velvet, you're going to be using entirely new weapons without your camera, so as far as we know you're operating at a serious handicap." He made a placating gesture, "Besides, it's not like these assignments are permanent, none of us know how much we've changed from that ritual, so we'll play it by ear." Velvet considered that for a moment then nodded; turning a penetrating gaze to Jaune, who gulped nervously.

They turned back to the night elf, who was waiting patiently on the top of the flat boulder, Qrow nodded to him, "Alright we're ready."

"Excellent," Replied Illidan, "who shall go first?"

Qrow turned to Pyrrha, who shrugged, "Sure why not?"

They walked a few paces before turning to face each other.

"You may start whenever you are pre- ready." Illidan called.

Qrow grinned, and saluted Pyrrha with his sword, she responded in kind, "On three!" the Hunter called, Pyrrha nodded. "One… two… three!"

Qrow and Pyrrha threw themselves at one another, when suddenly they both shouted simultaneously

"Trýpa oikópedo, áskopo thánato!" screamed out Pyrrha.

"Why's the rum gone!?" roared Qrow.

They both suddenly stopped and stared at each other, before turning to Illidan.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Qrow.

"It just… came out." Said Pyrrha, "I don't even know what that MEANS."

Illidan frowned, "I should have mentioned that there are… side effects… even if all of the ritual goes well. When you are about to throw yourself into combat, the power of the demons shall course through you. However, due to the battle that your soul must take in order to keep itself intact; a call that espouses the core tenants of your being shall come forth from your lips. It is possible to restrain this, however can take centuries of training; and so you WILL NOT BE PREPAR-" The night elf clapped his hands over his mouth and bent over, and the hunters could hear muffled screaming. Finally he stood up and shook himself, sighing heavily, "You will not be rehearsed… sufficiently for a good while yet. Do not let it trouble you."

Pyrrha turned back to Qrow who shrugged, "On three start over?" she nodded. "Alright then… one… two… three! Why is the rum gone!?"

"Trýpa oikópedo, áskopo thánato!" Pyrrha shouted back.

The two clashed, Qrow's scythe hammering into Pyrrha's shield, she disengaged and spun, lunging with her spear at Qrow's exposed side. He twisted away nimbly, twirling his scythe for another strike; Pyrrha ducked nimbly under, batting at the Hunter with her shield. They moved in an intricate dance, Qrow having greater reach, but Pyrrha kept in close, preventing him from moving too far away from her; batting at him with her shield and preventing him from ever drawing back for a powerful strike. Jaune watched in awe as Pyrrha struck out with her spear savagely, causing Qrow to leap backwards. The Huntress refused to let him disengage and before Jaune could even blink, she had leapt the distance between herself and Qrow. Slamming into her opponent; Qrow grunted and attempted to shove her back, but she stood strong and it was the Hunter that was sent away reeling; but he recovered and lashed out, keeping Pyrrha turtling behind her shield. The fight lasted for what seemed like an eternity, with neither showing any sign of slowing, much less stopping.

Finally, Illidan raised a hand, "That's enough!" He called out; the two halted their strikes mid-swing and stepped back quickly from one another, amazingly neither even breathing overly hard from their exertions.

Illidan seemed to consider the two of them, "that was well fought, I judge that you two are ready." he gestured to Ren and Nora. Nora grinned and yanked Ren into the center of the clearing; the two faced off, Ren quietly standing composed on one end, and Nora twirling her hammer and grinning wildly on the other.

Suddenly Nora cried out, "WAUGGGHHH!", Jaune shuddered at the bloodlust and savagery that the cry promised to inflict and was shocked to see Ren respond in kind, "WAUGGGHHH!", but whereas Nora's cry was one of hysterical violence, Ren's seemed more… out of frustration. Ren opened fire with his pistols and battle was joined.

If Qrow and Pyrrha's fight had been a dance, Ren and Nora's fight was like a game of high stakes tag, Nora was "it" and Ren dodged and dipped her strikes. He kept up a barrage of fire and darting in and out of her reach as her swings missed him narrowly, crushing boulders and cracking the earth wherever she struck. Illidan allowed this fight to go on for a few minutes before standing up, "That's enough!" he called.

"Wauuggghhhh!" replied Nora as she kept pursuing Ren. Ren gave a plaintive look towards the others as he ran from her rampage. Illidan sighed and outstretched a hand, blue energy coalescing at his fingertips. Suddenly, Jaune felt the air chill and saw ice solidify over Nora in a rush; in mere moments, Nora was frozen solid in a thick block of ice. The block was still for few moments, then suddenly it began shaking violently and it shattered. Nora stood there shivering for a while, then sneezed, "Reeennnn… I'm hungry… are there any pancakes?"

Ren held up a finger, then retrieved his bag, he rummaged for a few seconds, then pulled out a small container, which he opened to reveal a stack of pancakes, which he handed to Nora. He led her over to the others as she happily dug in. Illidan shook his head and gestured to Jaune and Velvet.

Jaune stepped forward into the clearing, he was still nervous, but there was an excited edge to it now. He had seen how his fellow Hunters and Huntresses' abilities had been augmented, and now he was eager to see how his own had been improved.

He hefted his sword and shield, pleased at how light they were. He saluted Velvet, who responded coolly in kind, they both fell into a combat stance. Jaune cleared his throat, "So uh… start on the count of three?" Velvet said nothing, but slowly nodded, her eyes fixated on him.

"Okay, one... two… three!"

"My heart has joined the Thousand!" screamed Velvet.

Jaune's mouth opened as he rushed forward, completely involuntarily, and he screamed… a high pitched scream of nonsense that sounded reedy and panicked. Mentally Jaune sighed, really? He thought, as he raised his shield to block Velvet's first strike. Suddenly a concussive force hit his shield, slamming him down into the ground; he got up woozily, his ears ringing. He could taste blood in his mouth, and he was barely able to get his thoughts together fast enough to roll aside as she struck again. The ground where her blow had connected rent asunder and green flame bellowed forth along the length of the gash in the earth. Jaune stared at the display for a moment, then looked up in shock at Velvet, who snarled at him and drew back her arm for another strike. Jaune threw himself to the side just in time to avoid the blow, and watched in disbelief as the ground split before his eyes once more.

"Uhhh… Velvet? Just a sparring match... remember?" He asked nervously as she stood up and fell into a combat stance. He felt chills run down his spine as he saw Velvet's face, her face was empty of emotion, her eyes were coldly fixated on him as she drew her warglaive from the ground and walked toward him. Suddenly she rushed forward and Jaune desperately used his shield, barely able to interpose it between himself and the Huntress as she rained blows down on him. He was pretty sure he was screaming as he gave ground beneath the onslaught, then suddenly the blows halted, and Jaune warily lowered the shield to see Illidan walking forward, clapping his hands slowly.

"That's enough Velvet," He purred, "You have made your point; the match is concluded." Jaune let out a sigh of relief, then felt Pyrrha's hand on his shoulder, "Jaune, can you please just step forward? It's making me nervous…" She implored, and dragged him along. Jaune looked at her in confusion, "what?"

She looked at him, "Look," she pointed at where he had been standing. Jaune followed her finger and his jaw dropped at what he saw.

He could see the ground where his feet had dug in from the force of the attacks he had been enduring, right behind the last set; the earth had formed into a series of razor sharp spikes that glinted in the sunlight.

Pyrrha gestured at the scene, "During the fight, Velvet… glowed… then from that… rift she made earlier; those started growing and when Illidan stopped the fight she was…" She paused, then whispered, "She was just about to push you onto them…"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, dumbfounded, then shifted his gaze over to the Huntress, who was in quiet conversation with Illidan. She nodded and laughed to something that the night elf, then she turned her eyes to Jaune and smiled. Jaune looked away quickly and his spines trembled; the largest changes inflicted by the ritual, he reflected, weren't the physical ones it appeared.

\---

Mul'dan strode confidently forward across the rocky outcrop toward the figure in the distance; the Grimm that crowded the area growled and snapped at him as he passed, but all sensed the fel power that he commanded and dared not approach. He smiled crookedly and halted, turning toward a particularly large bird-like specimen; it cocked its head at him and snapped its beak aggressively at him. The warlock shot out a hand and green flame bellowed forth, consuming the creature, by the time he had lowered the hand and stopped the torrent, nothing more remained. He chuckled again and continued walking forward, before finally arriving before the figure, he stopped, collected himself, and stood quietly.

Finally the figure spoke, "You… are like the invaders… and yet not… speak…"

Mul'dan smiled and bowed his head slightly, "Greetings master of this…" he glanced around at the gathering and coughed, "... horde… I bring you an offer from my masters of the Burning Legion."

The figure turned imperiously and glared at him, "My name is Cinder, and why do you think that I need anything from your masters?"

Mul'dan coughed a hacking dry cough, in truth he had no such affliction that inflicted these fits upon him; but he often enjoyed the discomfort that it caused in others. He glanced at the woman and his black heart warmed to see a single eyebrow twitch in irritation. Finally he looked at the gathered creatures, blinking slowly, "I had assumed that you had sought sanctuary from my kin in this place… why else would you be here?"

Cinder tilted her head, her eyes glared icily down at the hunched over murloc, "My enemies will fight each other and they shall both be weakened as a result," She said stiffly, "I shall simply sweep away what remains."

Mul'dan started to say something, then broke out into another fit of coughing, this time the woman's mouth spasmed into a sneer; the warlock bowed apologetically, "I am sorry then, I suppose I shall be on my way." He waved a hand and saw the woman's eyes widen as a shimmering portal formed, showing an image of the forest. He was about to turn to go, when he added over his shoulder, "my brethren will be here in a few days… these… Huntsmen and Huntresses, are falling rather rapidly… if you wish to avoid them, I would recommend finding other refuge." he took a single step forward.

"Wait!" called Cinder; Mul'dan smiled cruelly, but when he turned his face was the picture of innocent curiosity. "Just what…" She paused, collecting herself, "just what is it that your masters offer?" Mul'dan smiled and waved a hand, suddenly a giant, steel encrusted foot stepped through the portal, followed by another, a figure crammed it's way through the portal, its shadow dwarfing even the largest of the gathered Grimm. It's entire body was encrusted in steel, mottled with black and green. Flame bellowed out of its eyes and mouth, and in its hands it held a gigantic mace covered with rock shaped into spikes; it stood silently behind the murloc, who saw shock and… he was pleased to see… a spark of hope kindle in Cinder's eyes.

"This is Cardin," Mul'dan gestured to the behemoth, "Cardin, say hello to our friend." The former Huntsman looked down at the woman, then its mouth gaped open and it let forth a mechanical roar.


End file.
